2021 Trends: Nathan Tucker’s Editorial
Co-Founder Nathan Tucker reflects on how 2021 went for Scenic Trend
2021 was a year of huge growth for Scenic Trend. Some of the areas where we grew are pretty obvious, like how our following has nearly doubled from where it was this time in 2020 or the way that we have rebranded our website and changed our content styles. Other ways are a bit less easy to spot but just as important, like Scenic Trend’s efforts to be more inclusive and highlight social issues in Chattanooga. Overall though, it was only a year of growth.
We ended 2020 having our first intern ever, and since then, we have had nearly 20 students from UTC, SAU, and other local colleges become interns at Scenic Trend. This might be the achievement that I am most proud of, as it has given us the opportunity to help others wanting to learn about the Chattanooga arts community hop right in. We’ve streamlined the pathway for people to become interns and found ways to turn our internships into proper learning experiences that make a difference. Few moments in 2021 made me happier than when an intern would tell me about how they interviewed an artist they were a fan of at a show and how excited they were to tell that artist’s story.
Our efforts to rebrand Scenic Trend were a direct result of the growth we have felt on social media and out on the streets of Chattanooga. While the pandemic is far from over, many locals have adjusted to new ways of life, and the Chattanooga arts scene has returned in full force. 2021 was also the year that I moved to Chattanooga proper after having spent my college years living about 45 minutes away in Northwest Georgia to help my family while I finished school. Living - and now working - in the city meant seeing the return of the arts as events popped up again and doors reopened. I also got to see the direct effects of Scenic Trend as I spoke with people around Chattanooga about it, and I could now visit arts events more frequently. By rebuilding our website, rebranding our social media, and expanding our styles of content, we could break out of the patterns that 2020 had forced us into and start to find new ways to tell the world about how awesome Chattanooga and its artists are.
My goals moving forward for 2022 are to make our content more scheduled and consistent and to find ways to help artists beyond articles and releases. We’ve played with the idea of hosting a podcast in the past, and with me and interns now actively going to events, there is nothing stopping us from starting to use videos and photography more in our content. I really want 2022 to be the year where we get serious about taking our content to the next level.
I have a lot of people to be thankful for after 2021. Thanks of course to other Co-founder Dillan Whisenant and the great work he has been doing with our marketing. If you want to learn more about marketing, sign up for an internship with us and let Dillan tell you all his social media secrets. I also am super thankful for all of our amazing interns who created such great content this year. They deserve so much appreciation, and I’m honored to work with such bright souls. Most importantly though, I want to thank all of our readers and followers for spending another year with us. It’s thanks to you all that we are able to have a positive impact on the Chattanooga arts community.
Chattabunga!
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